Pokemon Black & White: Master Quest
by Damon Wolf Cub
Summary: A novelized Pokemon anime with differences according to logic and opinion. Twelve-year-old Ash Ketchum journeys to Unova, using personal experiance and his own skill as a trainer to guide him. Along the way, he meets a boy who is like him, yet also quite different. If you don't like OCs, why do you read fiction in the first place?
1. Chapter 1

_**Note: Be sure to read the notes on the bottom if any of my changes confuse or upset you.**_

_**Pokémon Black &amp; White: Unova Adventures.**_

_**Music: Born to be a Winner.**_

_Pokémon_

_Pokémon_

_Pokémon_

_Pokémon_

_Let's do it._

_I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was._

_To catch them is my real test…_

_To train 'em is my cause!_

_My whole life has led to this…_

_Time to test my skills!_

_I know I just can't miss, gonna show the world!_

_Born to be a winner!_

_Born to be a champion!_

_Born to be a winner!_

_Born to the very best…._

_Born to be a winner!_

_Pokémon!_

_Every challenge along the way,_

_With Courage I will face!_

_I will battle every day…._

_To claim my rightful place!_

_Come with me, the time is right!_

_There's no better team!_

_Arm and arm we'll win the fight, gonna live our dream!_

_Born to be a winner!_

_Born to be a champion!_

_Born to be a winner!_

_Born to be the very best!_

_I was born to be a winner!_

_Born to be a champion_

_Born to be a winner,_

_Born to be the very best._

_Born to be a winner!_

_Born to be the very best!_

_Born to be a winner!_

_Po-ké-mon!_

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Shadow of the Pokémon of Ideals**

* * *

Our story begins in Kanto, in one specific home. Early in the morning, twelve-year-old Ash Ketchum was getting dressed. His shirt and pants already on, he put on a pair of fingerless gloves and a jacket and zipped it up. "Pikapi!" His Pikachu leapt on his shoulder excitedly. He laughed a little in response.

"Okay, let's go!" he said, rushing out his door. He quickly stopped and ran back it, realizing he forgot his hat. After putting it on, he looked to his Pikachu. "You excited too, Pikachu?"

"Pika Pika! Pikachu!" his small friend replied.

"Haha! I can't remember the last time we went on a trip with mom!" Ash said.

"Ash! Are you ready? Professor Oak just pulled up!" his mother called.

"Coming!" he replied. "Come on Pikachu, let's get going!"

"Pikachu!"

"There you are." Ash's mom stated he walked out the front door. Ash was about to reply when she walked over and fixed his that. After looking at it for a moment, she smiled with a chuckle, and said, "Perfect!"

"Good morning everyone!" Professor Oak said. He was wearing an odd pineapple-themed shirt and sunglasses.

"What's with the outfit professor?" Ash asked with a small laugh.

"To get everyone in a vacationing mood! It's been years since I've last been to Unova."

"But this IS work-related, isn't it Professor?" Delia asked.

"Yes, yes of course. But there's time between meetings and that time is my time to relax!" Oak replied. "Now, hop in everyone! It's time to hit the road!"

"Alright! Let's get going!" Ash cheered.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Team Rocket's base….

"Now, once more. What the Team Rocket's mission?" Giovanni demanded.

"To conquer the world with an army of Pokémon." Cassidy replied.

"And how will we accomplish this mission?"

"By stealing and catching strong, rare, and valuable Pokémon to act as our weapons." Butch stated.

"Good. Have a look at this." A regional map appeared in front of them. "We are now assembling an elite army of Pokemon in the Unova region. Your mission is to infiltrate Unova undercover. Initially, you will do so with no assistance. When you arrive, await my next order in a secure, private location."

"Sir!" Butch and Cassidy replied. Giovanni ended the communications then.

"Let's do this Botch!" Cassidy ordered.

"It's BUTCH!" Butch replied. The two left to begin their mission. Nearby, Jessie, James, and Meowth, who were eavesdropping, began conversing.

"We can't let those two get all the glory!" Jessie said.

"That's right! We won't let them get closer to the boss than us!" James replied.

"I say we tail them and swipe the glory when the time comes!" Meowth stated.

"But what about Pikachu?" James questioned.

"We'll always have another chance at the twerp's Pikachu, but if those two do all that, we'll never get another chance to beat them! They'll have all the glory and we'll be kicked out of Team Rocket for good!" Jessie explained.

"Then let's go to Unova and take over!" Meowth said.

"Yeah!" The other two replied.

"Prepare for trouble because Team Rocket won't lose!"

"Make it double 'cause we'll give them a bruise!"

"That's right!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Giovanni sat back in his chair and turned it away from the screen. An agent walked up behind him, respectfully bowing.

"Sir, we have received intel on the Team Plasma incident. They are currently about to begin operations again."

"I see." Giovanni replied. "Once our operations begin, I'm certain they will reveal themselves." He said, gaining an evil smirk.

* * *

Now on the plane to Unova, Ash and Pikachu stared out the window. "Unova…." Ash quietly said to himself, barely able to contain his excitement. He turned to professor Oak and asked, "Hey Professor, Unova has a whole bunch of different Pokémon, right? Totally different from the other four regions we've been to?"

Oak looked over to him and replied, "Yes, Ash. Of course. There are many different Pokémon. In fact, just about all the Pokémon there can't be found in the other four regions."

Ash looked back at the window. "I can't wait." He said. _'I wonder if there's a Pokemon League too? Badges to win? Maybe contests? Ooh…I'm so excited!' _he thought, gaining a determined smile. _'If there is….I'm gonna win it!'_

His mother, however, had very different thoughts. _'I think Ash is getting ready for another adventure…That's just like him.' _She gave a small smile.

"Chaa!" Pikachu squealed, sharing Ash's excitement and thoughts.

Further back down the plane, both of the Rocket teams sat quietly, disguised in surprisingly good getups for once. All of them wore lightly colored coats that covered their mouths, and sun hats, as well as dark sunglasses to cover their eyes. Jessie, James, and Meowth looked over to Ash's group for a moment, and then began quietly talking to each other.

"What luck running into the twerp here of all places." James observed.

"That guy just can't resist a new adventure." Meowth stated.

"This is perfect! First we steal Pikachu and send it to the boss, then we take over Butch and Cassidy's jobs! It's brilliant!" Jessie said.

After flying through some clouds, land became visible. "Oh, wow!" Ash commented. Oak leaned over to look out the window as well.

"Yes, that's Unova alright." He stated.

"Unova…." Ash echoed. "Awesome!"

The plane touched down on the water, landing at the port. Ash's feet hit the ground, and once Professor Oak and Delia has also gotten out of the plane, he started following them. However, Pikachu quickly leapt off his shoulder, running down the port as he sensed something. Feeling the sudden loss of Pikachu's weight on his should, Ash turned around to see Pikachu staring off to the side.

"Hey Pikachu, is something wrong?" he asked. Pikachu turned around and called over to him.

"Pikapi!"

"Pikachu, what's up?" Ash asked again, walking over to him. Before Pikachu could direct his attention to what he had seen, a fish-like Pokémon leapt out of the water, catching his attention for a moment. "What's that?" he wondered. "I've never seen that Pokémon before." Ash ran down the port to get a closer look, but Pikachu climbed up his leg and directed him to where he was looking before. It was then that he saw a giant, swirling storm cloud that oddly sent out electricity in all directions.

He had only a moment to wonder what it was before a pink claw-hand-thing snatched Pikachu off of his shoulder. He was quick to react to it, and grabbed on before it completely took Pikachu. "Team Rocket, what are you doing here?"

"Hahahahahaha! Prepare for trouble, we're coming back!"

"Hahahaha! Make it double, with a Pikachu attack!"

"I'm sick of your dumb motto! Let Pikachu go!" Ash snapped.

"Well that was rude." Jessie said. "Where ARE your manners today, twerp?"

"You should know by now we don't just give up Pikachu when we catch it!" Meowth chimed in.

Before the conversation could continue, there was a sudden and large blast of electricity, destroying the claw-hand-thing and sending Team Rocket flying.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF IN THE FIRST CHAPTER?!"

Ash closed his eyes as he fell over. When he opened them, he found the world around him colored blue and sparkling, almost like being under water…If said water was electrified. He looked around and saw Pikachu as blue electricity seemingly zapped him. "Pikachu? Are you okay?" he asked. After a moment, the blue lightning stopped, and Pikachu stood up. Strangely, he had an angry look on his face, directed upwards. Ash looked upwards as well, and saw what seemed to be the center of the giant storm cloud.

"Pika...CHUU!" Pikachu yelled, sending his own electricity upwards. When it connected, there was an explosion, and the blue ball of lightning vanished. Looking closely, Ash saw a shadow of what appeared to be some kind of Pokemon.

Meanwhile, outside the cloud, multiple machines at the airport short-circuited and shut down. There was a boom of thunder, and Delia and Professor Oak looked outside. Delia gasped. "Ash!" she cried, moving towards the exit. Professor Oak followed, also concerned.

Back inside the cloud, Ash and Pikachu questioned what they were seeing inside the center of the cloud. "Is that some kind of Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as well. Suddenly, there was an electric explosion and the storm cloud vanished almost instantly. Ash covered his eyes from the flash, and once it was over he looked at Pikachu.

Pikachu was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious. "Pikachu? Pikachu, are you alright?!" Ash asked, picking Pikachu up. Pikachu opened his eyes and smiled. "That's a relief." Ash sighed.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied.

"Ash, dear! Ash, are you alright?!" Delia asked, running over to him.

"Yeah mom. We're fine." Ash replied.

Professor Oak came up behind her. "Are you sure? Completely?"

"We're fine. Right, Pikachu?" Ash said, standing up.

"Pikachu! Pika pika!" Pikachu replied. For a moment, his cheeks sparked, causing momentary confusion in them all.

"Pikachu?" Ash questioned.

"Pikachu. Pika!" Pikachu replied. He climbed up on Ash's should. Since it didn't seem to be anything, the passed it over for the moment.

Delia sighed. "That's good. I'll tell you, that was some storm."

"I'll say." Oak added.

"I wonder who that was." Ash voiced, turning around and looking at the sky.

"Who?" Oak asked.

Ash turned back to the professor and his mother. "I'm certain I saw something in that thundercloud. It looked like a Pokemon. Maybe it was some kind of Legendary?" He explained. "And I'm pretty sure Pikachu saw it too." Ash added. "Right?"

"Pika!" Pikachu replied.

Oak nodded. "Well, from where we were, all we could see was the cloud." He stated.

"Yes, that's right." Delia added.

"Hmm…That's weird." Ash replied.

"Professor Oak!" rang out a new voice.

Everyone turned around to see a young woman with brown hair walking up.

"Ah, Professor Juniper. Good to see you." Professor Oak greeted.

"I'm sorry for being so late. How is everyone after that storm?" Professor Juniper asked.

"We're all fine." Oak replied, walking up beside her. He turned back to Ash and Delia, and continued, "I'd like to introduce you. This is Professor Juniper, the Unova region professor. Don't let her youthful appearance fool you: She's one of the most important researchers here!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Juniper said.

* * *

A little while later, they rode in Juniper's car on the way to her lab. Ash couldn't resist looking around and seeing all the Pokémon of Unova. Some land Pokémon that were quadrupedal and colored pink. The region Normal Flying Type, and another land Pokémon.

"Would those bird-like Pokemon happen to be Normal-Flying-Types?" Ash observed

"Yes, they are! How did you know?" Juniper replied.

"There are Pokemon a lot like them back in Kanto." Ash explained.

"I see. Oh, look over there." Juniper directed, pointing at a lake. "Those are Swanna, a Water-Flying Type."

"Cool!"

"You know…" Professor Juniper started. "Pokemon from other regions are quite rare here." She said. "I've got questions for you, professor."

"That's fine."

"Even Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Especially Pikachu. We've never even seen one in the wild before!"

"You'll see plenty of new Pokemon you've never seen before at Professor Juniper's lab, Ash." Professor Oak stated.

"That's right!" Juniper commented. "You'll love it."

Suddenly Pikachu's cheeks sparked again, surprising everyone. "Pikachu sparked like that before." Delia observed. "Is something happening to him?"

"We can check it out once we get to my lab." Said Professor Juniper. "It doesn't seem to be anything too dangerous right now, so I wouldn't be too concerned yet."

In next to no time at all, they arrived in town.

"Welcome to Nuvema Town!" Juniper announced. "My lab is just up ahead."

"Wow! This kinda reminds me of places like Cerulean City." Ash noted.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

* * *

A short while later found Pikachu attached to a machine in Professor Juniper's lab. "PikaCHUU…" he protested, unhappy about being hooked up to some weird device.

"What do you think, professor?" Oak asked.

"Ash said that Pikachu was enveloped in a powerful electrical field. Still, there's no evidence of any problems besides that strange sparking from before." Juniper replied.

"Then Pikachu's okay!" Ash exclaimed. He then turned to Pikachu. "You're alright buddy! Awesome!"

Pikachu stood up quickly, very excited to get out of and away from that machine. "Pika!"

"Hold on Pikachu." Professor Juniper said. "I still want to perform a few more tests." She finished, completely destroying Pikachu's mood.

"Just a little longer, Pikachu." Ash said.

"PIkaCHUUU…" he sighed, sitting back down again like before.

The door to the room opened as one of Juniper's assistants walked in. "Professor, the new trainer has come to start his journey." He announced.

"It's really that time again?" Juniper questioned.

"Hey, that means you're just like the other Professors!" Ash realized. "You're about to give a new trainer one of three starter Pokémon, right?!"

"Yes! Let me guess, you've seen the other Professors, like myself, besides Professor Oak on your journey?" Juniper replied.

"Yeah! I've even seen a few new trainers get their starters!" Ash exclaimed. "Fire-Type, Water-Type, and Grass-Type, right?!"

"Right!"

* * *

In the lobby, a green-haired boy who looked around eleven was taking pictures. "Hello, Trip! Welcome!" Juniper greeted.

Trip looked over to her. "Hello, professor Juniper!" He greeted back. "I'm finally ready to start off my journey."

"I know you've been waiting for this day. Welcome to the world of Pokémon!" Juniper replied.

"Hey, I'll bet you were really excited last night, right?" Ash chimed in. "I know I was!"

"Right, and who are you?" Trip replied.

"Trip, meet Ash. He's a trainer from Pallet Town in the Kanto region." Juniper said.

"Nice to meet you, Trip!" Ash said.

Trip didn't reply for a second. Then, he randomly chuckled. "What's so funny?" Ash asked, slightly irked.

"See, I was just thinking someone like you came from the boonies." Trip replied.

"What do you mean 'boonies'?!" Ash demanded.

"Hey now, come on. It's your first day as a trainer. It's a happy day! At least try to be nice." Juniper said, walking over to three Poké Balls. "Now then, these three are your choices for a starting partner." She picked up the first one, tossing it up. "First up, Tepig, the Fire starter!"

With a loud pop sound, the ball opened and a small fiery piglet appeared in a flash of light. "Tepig!" it announced.

Ash walked over to it and leaned over. "So you're the Fire-Type starter. That's really cool!" he said. Tepig ran over away from him and let out a small snort, sending out two small flames from its nose. "Nice and fiery! No mistake there." Ash observed.

"Next up, Oshawott, a Water-Type!" Juniper announced.

With another pop, out came an adorable otter. "Oshawott…."it said, seemingly staring at nothing with a cutesy look on.

"Aww! An adorable Water-Type! That's awesome!" Ash commented.

"Osha? Oshawott….." Oshawott gained a weirded-out smile at Ash's remark.

"Finally, the Grass-Type starter, Snivy!" Juniper announced. With yet another pop, a small serpentine Pokemon appeared.

"Snivy!" it said confidently.

"Wow, this one looks pretty sure of itself!" Ash remarked. As the starters lined up awaiting Trip's choice, Ash decided to voice his thoughts. "You know, if it was up to me, this would be a tough choice."

"Don't forget I'M the one who's getting the starter here." Trip remarked.

"Yeah, I know, I'm just saying. To be honest it makes me kinda glad I woke up too late when I became a trainer. I would never have met Pikachu and would've been left with a really tough choice." Ash said, reminiscing about his first day.

"Hmph. Figures someone like you would end up spouting cheesy stuff like that." Trip commented. He then clicked a picture on his camera. "Anyway, I've chosen Snivy." He said, turning to Professor Juniper.

"Good choice. As long as you raise it well, Snivy will prove a great friend." Juniper stated. She then turned to the table and retrieved both a cell phone-like device and a small box containing five neatly ordered Poké Balls. "Okay, here are your items. Five Poké Balls and your PokéDex. The PokéDex contains information about all the Pokémon discovered here in Unova, and you can catch new Pokémon with these empty Poké Balls." She explained.

Trip took them with a smirk, replying, "Yeah, that's all basic stuff." Once he put away the Poké Balls in his bag he held up his PokéDex and scanned Snivy.

"Snivy: The Grass Snake Pokémon. Often times cool, calm, and collected, Snivy uses Photosynthesis to collect energy using the leaf on its tail. A Snivy's tail with droop when it is feeling unwell." Said the device.

"Cool!" Ash commented. Trip then put the PokéDex in his bag.

"Now, here's Snivy's Poké Ball. Take good care of it!" said Juniper, handing Trip the ball.

"Yeah, yeah, basics. I know this stuff." He stated. "Alright, let's start this journey, Snivy!" Trip turned to the Grass Snake and a red beam of light hit Snivy, returning it to the ball.

"Have a great adventure, and remember to take care of your Pokémon!" Juniper said.

"Yeah, I will. Thank you for everything Professor Juniper!" Trip said. Then he turned and walked out. Watching Trip leave, Ash contemplated for a moment. Quickly, he decided to find out it what he though was true, and soon came jogging after Trip.

"Hey, Trip, wait up!" he called. Trip turned around, slightly confused. "So, is your journey about Gym Battles?" Ash asked.

"Well duh, basics. Everyone knows this stuff: Eight Gyms, Eight Badges. You win all eight and you get into the Unova League. You win that and you fight the Elite Four. Beat them and you fight the Champion. Win THAT, and you become the new champion." Trip explained, arrogantly.

"I KNEW it! Alright! I was so hoping for this!" Ash exclaimed. Regaining a small amount of composure, he then said to Trip, "See, I've already been through-"

"Pikapi!"

"Huh?" Ash turned around at the sound of Pikachu's voice as Trip gained a look of surprise. "Hey buddy!" Ash greeted as Pikachu jumped into his arms. "All done with your testing now?" he asked.

"Pika! Pikapi, Pikachu Pika Pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, nodding at the first word.

"Aw come on, it couldn't be that bad." Ash replied. Pikachu shook his head and climbed onto his shoulder.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Trip muttered, pulling out his PokéDex. Ash and Pikachu turned to him as the device scanned Pikachu.

"Pikachu: The Electric Mouse Pokémon and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu often raise their tails to check their surroundings, sometimes being struck by lightning. Pikachu can be very friendly and will use some of its own electricity to recharge a friend."

After putting away his PokéDex, Trip pulled out his camera and started snapping photos, walking around Ash and Pikachu for different angles. "Uh, what are you doing?" Ash questioned.

Trip sighed irritably. "This is why we don't like people from the boonies. Look, a Pikachu or an Eevee or even a Pidgey is a huge deal in Unova. Those Pokemon are super rare over here, and few Unova trainers, much less non-trainers, ever even see one."

"It's no big deal to me. Pikachu's my number one friend and battler." Ash replied.

Suddenly, Trip smirked. "Is it strong?"

"Oh, you bet! Pikachu's one of my strongest and most reliable Pokémon!" Ash said, confident in his friend's abilities. "Wanna see?" he asked.

"Sure thing!" Trip replied, smirking even more.

* * *

At a convenient battlefield located behind Juniper's lab, the two trainers gave each other confident smiles as they prepared to battle.

"Okay, let's go Snivy!" Trip said, throwing the Poké Ball. Snivy appeared with a smirk to rival its trainer's.

"Okay, Pikachu, let's go!" Ash said. However, before the battle started, Trip snapped more pictures of the battlefield. "Why are you always taking pictures?" Ash asked.

"I'm recording my journey. Besides, it's my Snivy's first battle. I don't want to forget it." Trip replied.

"And it's our first battle in the Unova region! I don't intend to lose! Pikachu, Quick Attack go!" Ash exclaimed.

Pikachu surrounded himself with a white glow and took off at high speeds towards Trip's Snivy, too fast for them to react. Pikachu landed his Quick Attack, knocking Snivy backwards a bit.

"Okay then. Snivy, Tackle!" Trip called.

Snivy charged head-first at Pikachu, who simply jumped over the attacks.

"Alright, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

"Pikaaa…..CHUUU-Pi?!" Pikachu attempted the called move, but strangely, his cheeks just sparked a few times before failing to produce any electricity.

"Huh?!" Ash exclaimed. "Pikachu, what's wrong?"

"Pika…Chuu—pi…pi…." Pikachu attempted Thunderbolt again, but this time it seemed to only function to lower Pikachu's stamina.

Trip stared blankly for a moment. "Is this some kind of strategy or something? Calling out moves you don't know?" he asked after a moment.

"Hang on a second!" Ash yelled. "Something isn't right here. Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu took and deep breath and began running. "Pika Pika Pika PikaPikaPika….Pika…Pika…Pika?" Pikachu gained speed for a moment, and then slowed down. "Pikachu…Pika Pika Pi Pikachu…."

"Okay seriously, stop this charade. What are you, five? Trying to act all tough?" Trip mocked.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu responded. He leapt into the air, his tail glowing.

"Alright! It's just Electric-Type Moves!" Ash exclaimed.

"Snivy, DODGE!"

"Piiii….KA!" Pikachu's tail turned a shiny metallic black, and slammed into the ground, Snivy barely evading the move.

"Let's finish this! Snivy, Leaf Tornado!" Trip called.

"Snivy-vy-vy-vy-vy-vy!" Snivy flipped upside down midair and started spinning, sending leaves flying around in a twister.

"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to evade it until Snivy tires out!" Ash commanded.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, gaining a white glow and running around and away from the twister. After a few moments, it ended, and Snivy emerged tired, trying to catch its breath.

"Let's finish this with Iron Tail!" Ash exclaimed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed. He jumped and activated Iron Tail again, slamming down on Snivy's head this time.

"What?!" Trip exclaimed.

Pikachu returned to his position as Snivy lay defeated.

"Alright! We won, Pikachu!" Ash said.

"Pi-Pikachu!"

After a moment, Trip returned Snivy to its ball. "I guess it's to be expected when I'm just starting out." Trip said, irritated. "But I won't lose next time, got it?!" he yelled. Afterwards, he simply walked off.

Ash picked up Pikachu. "Now, let's see why you can't use your Electric-Type moves, Pikachu." He said. Pikachu nodded sadly.

"Professor Juniper! Something really isn't right with Pikachu after all!" Ash exclaimed, walking in with Pikachu in arms, unhurt but sad.

* * *

After Pikachu was hooked up to the machine once again- though not without many protests- Juniper gave a reading.

"It seems Pikachu has suffered an electrical overload." Juniper stated.

"Overload?" Ash questioned. "Wait, this won't end up was anything too dangerous, will it?! Pikachu's not at any risk of exploding from all the electricity, is he?!"

Everyone looked at him, surprised. Juniper answered, "No, nothing like that at all. Why do you ask?"

"Because the last time I was told anything about an electric overload in Pikachu, he was in a seriously bad condition from Team Rocket's latest scheme!"

"Well it's nothing like that. It was blasted by a lightning strike in a thunderstorm. Pikachu is completely unable to use that electricity in any way." Juniper explained.

"So no exploding?" Ash questioned.

"No. Pikachu will be just fine. He just can't use Electric-Type Moves anymore, or at least not until we find some way to safely remove it."

Suddenly, the screen became static and sparks came from around Pikachu's cheeks and his tail. "Pika!" he exclaimed in pain.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Professor Juniper looked to the window. "Look! Professor Oak, that cloud!" she exclaimed.

"Hmm?" Professor Oak looked over. "Ah! It's the same one as before!"

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

Suddenly, all the power went out and Pikachu became engulfed in electricity.

"Quickly! Reboot the system!" Juniper ordered.

"Right!" an assistant replied. He moved to the doors and forced them open, leaving to restore power.

"It couldn't be, could it?" Juniper mumbled. Looking back out the window, she questioned aloud, "Could the source of that cloud be the Legendary Zekrom?!"

"Who's Zekrom?" Ash asked.

"Zekrom is a Legendary Pokemon. It's said that it watches over people and Pokemon. It's lightning strikes and said to be judgement upon the world's inhabitants….and also that they hold up the sky above."

"That explains the shadow Pikachu and I saw inside that cloud!" Ash exclaimed. Suddenly, even more electricity surrounded Pikachu, casting off in every direction with no control whatsoever. Pikachu's cries of pain tore at Ash. "Pikachu!"

_**To be continued…..**_

_**I used the Johto intro full-version because it's awesome and describes pretty much who Ash is/wants to be.**_

_**Ash is twelve because logic dictates that it should be so. Staying ten after all these years is ridiculous, but having a 25-year-old running around with a ten-year-old girl isn't exactly a good image, so things referencing more than two years in this fic are people breaking the fourth wall. Also, Ash seems older in Hoenn and Sinnoh. There's also Kalos, where he again looks older.**_

_**I gave the whole "operations of evil" deal to Botch- I mean, Butch, and Cassidy because they were originally made to be a more competent version of the Trio we're used to. Also so I could make that fourth-wall joke up there. Seriously, even without any points about Team Rocket becoming more stupid over the years, that happened over time. And then suddenly in Black and White they're fully competent, totally evil villains again? Yeah no.**_

_**Multiple added call backs and references to previous seasons to show that Ash should seriously be smarter than Black and White portrayed him as.**_

_**Made Trip lose and Ash mad at him because Trip is a lazy Paul clone and deserves to lose. Seriously, even with Pikachu tired out from failing his moves, he should have been able to dodge that using Quick Attack. After four regions and two side tournaments, there's no way Ash should fail to think of a simple strategy like that. Not to mention it was Snivy's first battle when it was at its weakest and least skilled.**_

_**Nobody likes a Rival Stu and that's what Trip was for 90% of Black and White. We're not talking about Cameron, because that's a rant that could extend this page by over nine THOUSAND words.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Notes: Before you write off my OC as a Gary Stu, SHUT THE FUSICLAP UP and READ THE WHOLE THING before you judge. Especially CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS who know who they are. If my changes confuse you, (almost) all will be revealed in the bottom notes.**_

_**Intro theme: Master Quest**_

_There's no time to question my moves!_

_I stick to the path that I choose!_

_Me and my friends are gonna do it right,_

_You'll never see us run away from a fight!_

_To be a master is my dream…_

_All I've got to do is believe! –and I believe!-_

_I've got a chance to win._

_I'm on my way to victory! _

_Pokémon!_

_I can be a champion if I just believe._

_I'm on a Master Quest!_

_I want the whole world to see! –and I believe!-_

_I'm gonna be the very best,_

_Cause all I've got to do is believe in me!_

_Pokémon!_

* * *

**Chapter 2: A Dragon Master in Training**

* * *

"Pikachu!" Ash cried. The electric mouse's yells of pain truly worried him.

Oak and Juniper both were attempting to power the system back on, but to no avail. "We've got to reboot the system somehow!" Juniper stated.

Eventually, Oak looked out the window at the giant cloud. "Could a Legendary Pokémon truly be doing this? But why would it?" he wondered aloud.

"PIII! PIKAA!" Pikachu yelled.

"Pikachu! Please, stay strong buddy!" Ash cried. Pikachu falling over only make his concern grow. Without thinking, he moved over and grabbed Pikachu with both arms, ending up zapped for his trouble. Fortunately, it was over within seconds as the cloud suddenly dissipated. They both fell over, Pikachu still sparking.

"Ash!" Delia cried, crouching to him. "Are you alright, Ash?"

Electricity suddenly returned to the lab. "We're back online?!" Juniper stated the obvious out of confusion.

"Oshawott!" an Oshawott ran over to Ash as he sat up.

"I'm fine, mom." Ash reassured. "Wait, Pikachu!" he got up, and Pikachu did the same, with ease. "You alright Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied. The then electrified his tail momentarily. "Pika! Pikachu!" he said excitedly.

"So you're back to normal?" Ash asked. "Try a Thunderbolt on me!" he commanded.

"Pika….CHUU!" Pikachu indeed sent electricity at Ash, shocking him decently. Somehow undamaged, he smiled at Pikachu.

"Alright! Volt Tackle, go!"

"Pika Pika PikaPikaPika…" Pikachu charged up and dashed, ramming Ash like an electrified Tauros, knocking them both into the wall.

"Oh my goodness!" Delia exclaimed, turning as Ash and Pikachu flew past her.

After a moment, Ash shook his head and looked at Pikachu. "You're really okay…!"

"Pika!" They both proceeded to fall over, twitching from the electricity.

* * *

Later, at sunset, Juniper and Oak- who was now in his normal scientific outfit- walked outside, looking at the sky. "Do you think it really was Zekrom? THE Legendary Zekrom?" Juniper asked.

Oak turned to her with a smile. "I'd say this calls for some additional research."

Ash and Pikachu walked outside next. They also looked onwards, at both the sky and trees around them. "There's a lot we don't know about this place, Pikachu." Ash stated. "I'd just love to see what Unova has to offer. And a new Pokémon League! I've gotta compete in that!"

"Pika Pika!"

That night, as he, his mother, and professor Oak ate dinner, Ash decided to announce his plan. "I've decided to have my next adventure here!"

Delia and Oak both stopped in the middle of eating and looked at him.

"For sure! I want to meet lots of the new Pokémon here! I'll make lots of new friends, and I can test my skills."

"Of course." Delia remarked with a giggle and smile. "I knew it from the moment you heard the words 'new Pokémon', Ash."

"I take it you'll be traveling to the eight Gyms?"

"Of course, professor!"

"Then I'll continue looking after your other Pokémon. Though I do hope you intend to bring some of them over here from time to time, if only to see them again with your own eyes."

Delia turned to Pikachu. "You take care of Ash, okay Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded. "Pikachu!"

The next morning, Ash and Professor Juniper met up in the lobby. Juniper handed Ash five Poké Balls and the PokéDex. "You know the drill, right?" Juniper asked.

"Yeah." Ash replied.

"Since you're going for badges, I recommend the Striaton Gym. It's the one closest to here and easily the best to challenge first." She explained. As an afterthought, she added, "You know, Trip left ahead of you. You might want to catch up."

"_I guess it's to be expected when I'm just starting out." Trip growled. "But next time I won't lose, got it?!"_

Ash turned to her and nodded, a determined look on his face. A short while later found him, his mother, and both professors at the gate of the lab.

"Do have all your food? Packed clothes? And remember to change your underwear!"

"I know, mom. I'm not a little kid." Ash replied, embarrassed by his mother's antics.

"There's a Pokémon Center on the other side of the forest. You can stop there if something happens, or if you need any help." Juniper said.

"Okay. We're off then! Bye!" Ash turned and went on his way, excitedly jogging down the path.

"Be careful, Ash! Good-bye!"

"Good luck to you, and enjoy yourself!"

Once Ash was out of sight, Delia closed her eyes. "I wonder….just how much will he grow on this journey?" She opened her eyes with a smile. "I can't wait!"

* * *

"I wonder what we'll see first? A Bug-Type? Maybe Grass or Water-types!" Ash wondered aloud, still jogging. After a short time, Pikachu directed his attention to his left, showing him a strange figure in a berry bush. _'A Pokémon?'_ he though, pulling out his PokéDex.

"Axew: The Tusk Pokémon. Axew mark their territory with their tusks, which often fall out and regrow. Axew are Dragon-Type Pokémon who take great time and care to raise."

"That doesn't like this." Ash observed.

"Huh?"

"Huh?!"

"Who's there?!" the being in the bush stood up and turned around, revealing itself to be a brown-skinned young girl slightly younger than him.

"Hey, you're not a Pokémon…" Ash pointed out.

"Of course not! How could you mistake me for a Pokémon?!" The girl responded.

"Maybe you should take a look at that hair of yours." Ash pointed to said hair.

The girl looked at her overly long hair for a second. "Well, maybe…I guess I could see that from the right angle." She mumbled.

"Well, do you happen to have an Axew on you?" Ash asked.

"Huh?" the girl looked at his hand. "Oh! I see!" she said. She turned her eyes to her hair. "Axew!" she called, holding up a half-eaten berry. The Pokémon appeared from her hair, and took the berry.

'_That explains why the PokéDex registered Axew. Talk about a weird way to carry a Pokémon.'_ Ash thought.

"Just so you know, Axew's my partner." The girl stated.

"Cool." Ash commented. Pikachu hopped off his shoulder, oddly catching the attention of the girl as he landed.

"Oh wow! Is that a Pikachu?!" she excitedly questioned, picking him up. "Aww, aren't you adorable?"

"Piikaaa…" Pikachu complained.

"Uh, you really shouldn't do that…" Ash warned, knowing what happened to unsuspecting fools who irritated Pikachu.

"Huh? Oh sorry! My name's Iris. Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand, still holding Pikachu- who was getting upset- in her other arm.

"I'm Ash Ketchum. We're from Pallet Town in the Kanto Region." Ash took her hand, and they shook. "Pikachu's my number one pal. We're planning to enter the Unova League!"

"That's niiiii-aaAAAAH!" Iris was cut off by Pikachu's sudden shock. Once it ended, her hair was defying gravity. "S-Shocking…..."she muttered, before falling over.

A short time later, with Iris recovered, the four of them were sitting on the grass across from each other.

"Uh…Sorry about that." Iris apologized to the mouse, who wore a still irritated look. Pikachu's ear twitched. "Hey, there was a storm in Nuvema Town yesterday, right?" she asked, turning her attention to Ash.

"Yeah. Professor Juniper thinks it might've been Zekrom that made that happen."

"No way! THE Legendary Zekrom?!" Iris got on her hands and knees, getting very close to Ash, who leaned away from her. "Please, tell me everything that happened!"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu pointed at something, catching Ash's attention. The deer-like Pokémon turned and ran when he looked over, but Ash managed to see it.

"Hey! One of the Pokémon from yesterday!" Ash exclaimed, standing up. "Let's go see what it was, Pikachu!"

Once Pikachu hopped on his shoulder, he ran off.

"Hey, wait up! Ash!" Iris called, running after him.

* * *

In a cave somewhere not far from Ash and Iris, Botch and Cassidy-

"It's BUTCH!"

"Quiet, Bob. The Boss is about to speak."

Butch and Cassidy each bowed on one knee to the screen showing Giovanni.

"I see you have arrived with getting yourselves blown up." He remarked.

"Yes." both replied.

Butch then spoke. "We have successfully infiltrated Unova, on schedule."

"We are ready to begin our conquest of this region, boss." Cassidy stated.

"We intend to capture the Legendary Zekrom and give it to you, boss." Butch said.

"A Legendary Pokémon?"

"Yes, boss." Cassidy replied. "However, in order to do so, we require usage of our strongest Pokémon."

"I'm afraid that's impossible." A secretary intruded. "Using Pokémon from other regions would attract too much attention. You would be quickly found out, destroying any chance of successful takeover. To protect our organization's secrets and plans, you must use Pokémon native to Unova."

"Very well." Both replied.

"I am counting on you both. I have every confidence in your abilities." Giovanni then ended the communications.

Butch and Cassidy looked over their new equipment.

"Good. All we need to take over a region, little by little." Cassidy said, looking over it all.

"….So, now what?" Butch questioned.

"We start catching Pokémon!" Cassidy stated.

Outside the cave, our favorite trio of bumblers once more dropped eaves upon Butch and Cassidy.

Meowth turned to the screen of your system. "So, I'm willing to bet you readers at home are wondering how we're not lost on the other side of Unova. The reason is we're just that good!"

Jessie smacked him with a paper fan. "No, we're protected by the power of plot convenience. We always have to show up in time to try to steal the twerp's Pikachu."

"And we have to beat Bill and Cassidy!" James threw in.

Butch suddenly felt a chill, like someone just out of hearing range had once again gotten his name wrong. However, he hadn't the time to ponder it, as he and Cassidy were suddenly assaulted by a pack of bat-like Pokémon.

* * *

Back at Team Rocket's HQ, Giovanni received his tea from the secretary. "Do you really think those two will be successful?" she asked.

"Perhaps they will, perhaps they won't. Either way, their operations are bound to draw Team Plasma out of their little hole."

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash and Iris hid the bushes near a whole pack of Pokémon. Ash pulled out his PokéDex, turning down the volume, before scanning the Pokémon.

"Deerling: The Season Pokémon. With the change of each season, so too does Deerling's appearance change."

"Cool! So they're called Deerling." Ash quietly commented. "Okay…here goes!" he mumbled, before getting up and throwing a Poké Ball at one of the Deerling. He watched the ball fly…..and then get smacked away in a home-run by a casual tilt of the head. Ash blinked at it.

"Ash, you have to battle a Pokémon before you catch it." Iris remarked.

"I know that!" Ash replied. "But distracted Pokémon can also be easier to catch, and that one looked completely off-guard!"

Iris thought about it for a second. "I suppose that's true. Still, it's better to try a sneak attack in that scenario. Calling for Pikachu's Quick Attack would've net you an easier catch than wildly tossing Poké Balls everywhere."

"Anyway, let's go Pikachu!" Ash commanded. Pikachu hopped in front of him, ready for battle.

But before they could, the Deerling suddenly fled. "Huh? What's up?" Ash wondered. He didn't wonder for long; all too soon a pack of field Pokémon ran by at high speeds, dizzying and tripping him and Pikachu. They somehow also kicked up a cloud of dust without destroying the grass and soil beneath their feet.

Once the dust cloud settled, Ash and Pikachu emerged face-down and dizzy. After getting up again, Ash asked, "Who was that Pokémon anyway?"

"Those were Patrat. They're really common around here." Iris said, making it sound obvious.

Later that day, around sunset, Ash and Iris found themselves at fruit tree. Ash picked one off and looked at it. "I wonder if we can eat these?" he wondered. He looked up; He hoped to ask Iris about it, but what he found instead was a mountain of the fruit falling upon him and Pikachu.

Iris dropped from the tree next to the fruit mountain. "Dinner is served! …Ash?"

"Down here." Iris looked down at his voice.

"Oh. Sorry about that!"

* * *

Later that night, everyone was munching on the fruits from before. Ash, who was sitting on the ground, had just finished explaining the details of the past two days after Zekrom had seemingly appeared to Iris, who sat on a branch in the tree they got their fruit from.

"Wow. That sounds like a rough day to have." Iris commented.

"Yeah. When I heard Professor Juniper say Pikachu was overloading, I panicked." Ash said.

"From the sounds of it, nothing too bad happened, right?"

"Yeah, this time nothing super dangerous happened. But, the last time Pikachu had an Electrical overcharge, I nearly lost him for good. There was a serious risk of Pikachu exploding from all the electrical energies."

"Oh goodness! That certainly sounds scary…"

"Yeah."

"Still, you got to see Zekrom! A Legendary Pokémon! I'd love to meet it myself one day."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it'd be pretty cool to meet it without the electrical problem ruining our day." He paused, expecting a response. When he received none, he looked up at the tree. "Iris?"

Iris and Axew had fallen asleep on the branch. Ash and Pikachu both smiled at them. Ash leaned back, using his hands to support himself, and looked up at the stars. "You know Pikachu, if there's one thing we can count on, it's always seeing the stars in the sky on our adventures."

"Pika."

"This Unova sky…this is what our new adventure's happening under!"

Ash had started feeling a little tired now, but Pikachu pointed out a shooting star as it zoomed across the night sky.

"Awesome! A shooting star!" Ash looked to Pikachu, standing up. "We're gonna have a great adventure, buddy!"

"Pi-pikachu!" They both gave the peace sign to each other. Then, they started laughing. And from the bushes, they were watched by a small figure.

* * *

The next morning found them walking the path, just the two of them.

"Iris sure left pretty early. I wonder where she went?" Ash pondered for a second. "I'll bet we see her again. For now, onwards!"

Just then, a bird-like Pokémon flew overhead in the general direction they were headed. "Hey, that's one of the Pokémon from yesterday too!" Ash noted, pulling out his PokéDex.

"Pidove: the Tiny Pigeon Pokémon. A flock of Pidove can get very noisy. Generally, Pidove are not attracted to shiny objects."

"So it's called a Pidove, huh? Cool! Pikachu, let's go!" Ash and Pikachu followed the flying Pokémon to open field where a whole flock awaited them. Looking over, Ash pointed to a nearby one. "Let's battle that one! Thunderbolt, go!"

"Pikaa….CHU!" Pikachu quickly fried the Pidove, knocking it over.

"Okay, now to catCH-AAAAAAH!" They also caught the attention of the rest of the flock, angered by their attack. Ash and Pikachu soon found themselves dancing around the meadow as they evaded the onslaught of Quick Attacks and Air Cutters. "Hey! Stop it! Knock it off!"

After around a minute or so, the knocked out Pidove recovered spontaneously and flew off, prompting the rest to do the same.

Ash and Pikachu, trying to catch their breath, took a moment to check on each other. "You okay, Pikachu?" he asked. The small mouse nodded. "Phew. Guess even the normal Flying-Types can't all be easy." He looked at the Poké Ball in his hand. "But it's nothing to get upset over, so let's keep going!"

"Pikachu!"

They looked around the field, and Ash noticed on last Pidove that didn't take off yet. "One more chance!" Ash exclaimed, turning his hat backwards. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack!" He commanded. The Pidove noticed him, getting into a battle stance of a sort.

"Pikachu! Pika…" Pikachu took off surrounded by the white aura, landing a perfect hit on Pidove.

"Now, Iron Tail!" Pikachu spun around, knocking Pidove away with a shiny metal tail. "Okay, now's the time!" Ash called, throwing the Poké Ball. It bounced off it, and clicked open, absorbing Pidove in a red light, and closed. As the Poké Ball landed, Ash waited anxiously. It shook once, the button flashing red. It shook again, causing Ash to tense up. It shook a third time, Ash preparing to celebrate….

And then it popped open again. "Darn! I almost had it!" he snapped his fingers as Pidove re-materialized, mid-flight now. Now upset, it began using Gust, forcing Pikachu and Ash to brace themselves against the current. Then, it switched to Quick Attack, hitting Pikachu before the two could recover. Pikachu was quick to stand up again, though. Pidove proceeded to throw out an Air Cutter attack that Pikachu evaded by leaping backwards.

Pidove went at them with Quick Attack again, but this time Ash was ready. "Pikachu, jump and spin!" he commanded. Pikachu did exactly that, completely evading the attack and sending Pidove careening into a tree. "Alright, now use Thunderbolt!"

The Pidove got up again, and tried to fly, but Pikachu was faster, zapping it once more with Thunderbolt. It fell to the ground, defeated.

"This is it! Poké Ball, don't fail me now!" Ash threw said ball once more, hoping to catch Pidove for real this time. Once more, it bounce off, clicked open, absorbed Pidove in a red light, and closed, landing on the ground once more.

One shake. Tension.

Two shake. Ash leaned in slightly.

Three shake. Was it gonna pop back out again…?

_Click!_

Ash stared for a moment.

"YES!" he shouted, running over to the Poké Ball. He picked up, holding it above him in his classic, signature pose. "I caught Pidove!" he shouted to the world. "Alright!" he turned to Pikachu. "Our first catch in Unova, Pikachu!"

"Pi-Pikachu!"

"Are you seriously _that _excited over catching a little Pidove?" Iris questioned, entering the scene.

"Hey, Iris! Of course! I've got a new friend!" Ash replied. Axew, who was holding a fruit of some kind, hopped down from Iris' shoulder and split it with Pikachu. After a moment, Pikachu took it, and, seeing Axew eating, gave it a try as well. After finding he liked it, he started nibbling it faster.

"On second thought, you and that Pidove might be highly compatible." Iris said.

From out of nowhere, two black hand-claws grabbed Pikachu and Axew, startling them. Their cries alerted Ash and Iris, who looked at where they were taken.

"Not you guys!" Ash commented as Pikachu and Axew were tossed into the glass-like container.

"Prepare for trouble!" A blond woman started.

"Make it double!" a green-haired man continued.

"To infect the world with devastation!"

"To blight all peoples in every nation!"

"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"

"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"

"Cassidy!"

"And Butch of course!"

_"Gather under the name of Team Rocket!"_

"We circle the Earth, all day and night!"

"Surrender to us now, or you'll surely lose the fight!"

"Team Rocket?" Iris questioned.

Ash turned to her. "Team Rocket are a group of thieves who steal Pokemon. They've been after Pikachu for years!"

Iris turned back to Cassidy and Butch. "Just give me back Axew! It's my friend!" She shouted at them.

Butch and Cassidy looked at their container. "Axew, huh? That's a good catch for sure." Cassidy commented

"Iris, be careful." Ash warned. "Team Rocket is usually pretty easy, but these two are….uh…" Ash paused for a moment. "Right, these are the other two! Botch and Acidy!"

"Botch" and "Acidy" faceplanted. Then, Butch started laughing. "AHAHAHAHA! Someone finally forgot YOUR name for once!"

"They still got your name wrong, Butch!"

Butch stopped laughing. He turned to Ash and Iris, shouting "It's BUTCH! Get it right or I'll 'botch' YOU!"

"And I'm CASSIDY! CA-SSI-DY! You'll be FEELING Acid if you get it wrong again!"

Composing themselves, the prepared to start again.

"Give us back our Pokémon!" Ash yelled at them. Turning to Iris, he spoke more softly. "Iris, these two are actually kind of a threat! We have to be careful!"

"What kind of evil team ISN'T a threat?!" Iris responded.

"The OTHER Team Rocket, that's who." Ash deadpanned. "Anyway, Pidove, I choose you!" He threw out the newly-caught Pidove. "Pidove, Air Cutter! Break that container!"

"I don't think so!" Cassidy replied, throwing out her own Poké Ball. From it popped out a bat-like Pokemon with a nose and mouth. Its eyes were obscured by its fur. "Take that Air Cutter and protect the container!" she ordered. The bat-Pokémon did so, somehow shaking off the attack.

"I'm glad I caught this thing….whatever it is." Cassidy commented.

"Who's that?" Ash asked.

"It's a Woobat!" Iris replied.

"Woobat. So it's like Zubat. In any case, use Gust!" Cassidy ordered.

"Pidove, dodge and use Quick Attack!" Ash responded. Pidove flew around and then flew at Woobat, glowing white and moving fast.

"Evade and counter with Gust!"

Woobat evaded this time, as the container was in no danger. It proceeded to blast Pidove with its own move. Exhausted still from the previous battle, it couldn't evade in time and was sent to the ground, hard. "Pidove!"

Ash ran over to it. "You alright?! Pidove!"

"Ash, it was still tired from when you caught it! Don't you have any other Pokemon?!" Iris commented.

"I do, but they're all at Professor Oak's, and I can't reach him at the moment! Don't YOU have another Pokemon?!" Ash responded.

Iris gained an unsure look. "I-I…..no, not really."

"We've got what we want; it's time to leave." Cassidy stated, returning Woobat to its ball. Butch opened a small case that defied all logic and science to materialize a full-sized balloon and two-person basket. They began flying away, Pikachu and Axew hanging from under the balloon.

"NO! Pikachu!" Ash cried.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Iris called, running over to a tree, and climbing it.

"I'm coming Pikachu!" Ash shouted, somehow climbing up the tree even faster than Iris. He reached the top and performed a great leap.

"No way!" Iris commented as he passed. Ash reached for the glass case, far as he could, reaching the peak of his jump…..And missed, grasping at nothing as the container floated just out of his reach. Gravity suddenly realized he was staying in the air too long and yanked him back down, falling through the branches as they broke his fall. He landed painfully on his back, and Iris jumped down to check on him. "Ash, are you alright?!"

Ash sat up, mostly unhurt. "I'm fine…." He replied, looking up. "Pikachu!"

"Leaf Tornado, go!" a new voice rang out.

"Huh?!" Ash and Iris turned as a Snivy leap through the air and sent a storm of leaves through the balloon, causing to deflate and fall.

'_I know that voice!'_

As it fell, an Oshawott ran out from behind a bush, leaping and slicing the glass cage into multiple pieces, allowing Pikachu and Axew to fall into Ash's and Iris' hands. Oshawott proceeded to dance around, shouting excitedly. Ash turned to Oshawott. "Thanks Oshawott!" he said, before turning to Team Rocket 2 as Pikachu leapt out of his arms, ready to battle.

Meanwhile, the Snivy landed in the waiting arms of a young teenager, one year older than Ash. He wore a light, grey-blue long-sleeved jacket, black jeans, and a red-white hat with a black Poké Ball design on the front, covering his blond-ish brown hair. "You alright, Blade?" he asked the small Snivy. It nodded. "Good. Let's help Ash now."

"Blade" leapt out of his arms, joining Pikachu and Axew. Its trainer ran over as well, pulling his hat up to avoid obscuring his blue eyes. "Hey, Ash! Good to see you." He greeted.

"Great to see you, too!" Ash returned. "Pikachu, it's time to send these guys blasting off like the other ones! Volt Tackle!"

"Blade, help out with Leaf Tornado!" the other boy commanded.

"Pika, Pika Pika Pikapikapikapikapika…."

"Vy-vy-vy-vy-vy-vy….."

The twister of leaves provided extra power behind the mouse-powered electric missile, and a blast of water soaked Team Rocket just before the moves hit, causing extra damage. In an explosion, Cassidy and Butch where sent flying across the horizon.

"NOT ANOTHER BLAST OFF! WE'RE NOT THOSE IDIOOOOOOOOOOOTS!" They screamed as they became a twinkle in the sky.

With the current problem taken care of, Ash and Iris tended to their Pokémon as the older boy petted and fed his Snivy. Upon complete assurance that Axew and Pikachu were okay, Ash and Iris turned to the boy with the Snivy.

Iris was the first to speak. "Who are you?" she asked.

Ash smiled, coming between his two friends. "Iris, this is Shane. He's a trainer I met back in Sinnoh. Shane, this is Iris. I just met her yesterday."

"Nice to meet you." Shane greeted, holding out his now-free hand.

"Yeah. Same." Iris returned, taking it. They shook, and their Pokémon jumped from their shoulders to meet as well. "Hey, this Snivy of yours is pretty friendly!" Iris commented, observing as Blade and Axew started playing together.

"He's young." Shane stated. "Anyway, you two best go on ahead. There's a Pokémon Center ahead I stopped at last night."

Ash gained a confused look. "Aren't you coming too?" he asked.

"No, I'm on my way to Nuvema Town. I'm heading there to see Professor Juniper and visit my parents." Shane replied. Ash only then noticed the bicycle behind him, haphazardly lying on the ground. Shane noticed the odd expression he gained. "Yeah, I kinda jumped off to give Blade a boosted jump." He ran over to it, and set it up properly. "Blade! Come back over here!" he called.

The Snivy stopped and looked over, before sadly looking over at Axew and waving good-bye. "Snivy-Vy Sni!"

"Ax-Axew!" Axew cried, waving its own farewell.

"See you later, Ash!" Shane said, riding by after Blade leapt on his head.

"Bye Shane! Nice to see you again!" Ash called after him, waving. He turned to Iris. "Let's get going!"

"Right!"

They ran down the trail, the direction Shane had come from.

* * *

Later, sunset found the two in the Pokémon Center as the hot-pink-haired nurse brought out their Pokémon on a stretcher. All three stood on it, fully recovered. "Your Pokémon are good as new!" she announced.

"Thank you Nurse Joy!" the two replied. Pikachu and Axew quickly leapt onto their respective trainer's shoulders. Ash held out his arm for Pidove to stand on for the moment.

"Welcome to the family, Pidove!" Ash greeted. Everyone shared a laugh as Pidove chirped a small song. However, Ash couldn't help his mind wondering.

Iris noticed. "Hey, something on your mind, Ash?" she asked.

Ash turned to her. "I can't help wondering why that Oshawott helped us out like that."

"Maybe it was Shane's?"

"No, that's impossible." Ash replied.

"Why?"

"For one, it came from the opposite direction Shane came from. Two, I didn't hear a Poké Ball open, and three, Shane didn't give it any commands. If it was Shane's, it would have waited for his orders. Also, he made no mention of it, and there's no way a trainer like Shane would just leave his Pokemon behind."

"That's right…."

From outside the center, that same Oshawott peaked in from around the corner.

_**To be continued….**_

* * *

_**OC is thirteen because I'm 15 and it feels right. Also, outfit is based off of the male character's outfit in Black/White 1. Hair and eye color are based off of my own real colors.**_

_**No, he is not a Gary Stu. If you don't like Original Characters, what the heck are you doing reading FICTION in the first place?!**_

_**Ash doesn't hit Iris with a Poké Ball and you'll notice the lack of "what a kid" comments. Breadghost isn't the only one who finds that "catchphrase" annoying, at least within the first episodes, and I find it REALLY stupid Iris didn't hear Ash's "That doesn't look like this." and "I'll catch it anyway!" comments from the episode. She should've heard them and turned around. Not to mention the weird thing with her calling herself "cute".**_

_**Made Ash forget Butch and Cassidy's names both because they haven't shown up in the anime for a long time, and I wanted to fulfill Butch's secret wish for someone to get Cassidy's name wrong for a change.**_

_**Poked fun at the complete defying of physics with the balloon-case thing because I felt like it. Also, Butch and Cassidy are now officially Team Rocket 2, to prevent confusion when the Rocket Teams are in the same scene and I want to refer to the two groups.**_

_**Why Ash met a Unova trainer in Sinnoh will explained later. I'm not gonna just spoil it all now. Where's the fun and immersion in that?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_I LIIIIIVE! Just a note, half of what's below this was written aaaaaaalll the way back when I first uploaded Chapter 2. Yes, it took me until now to finish it. Please read the notes at the bottom._**

**_Notes: No, nobody in this fic is a Gary Stu. You people need to learn the proper meaning of the term before you label someone with it. If any of my changes confuse or upset you, remember to read the notes at the bottom, as they will explain/justify them._**

**_Intro theme: Master Quest_**

_There's no time to question my moves!_

_I stick to the path that I choose!_

_Me and my friends are gonna do it right,_

_You'll never see us run away from a fight!_

_To be a master is my dream…_

_All I've got to do is believe! –and I believe!-_

_I've got a chance to win._

_I'm on my way to victory!_

_Pokémon!_

_I can be a champion if I just believe._

_I'm on a Master Quest!_

_I want the whole world to see! –and I believe!-_

_I'm gonna be the very best,_

_Cause all I've got to do is believe in me!_

_Pokémon!_

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Hot Sandile Geyser**_

* * *

After resting at the Pokémon Center and getting directions to Striaton City, Ash and Pikachu had set off down the road. For some reason, Iris and Axew had decided to join them without any talking or even inviting themselves verbally. Ash hadn't minded at first, thinking she might've just been heading in the same direction at the moment, but after a few minutes he decided she must've had some other reason, as they still hadn't parted yet.

"Okay, is there some special reason you're coming along with us?" Ash asked, turning his head towards her. "It's not like we fried your bike or something."

"I figured since you're new to Unova, I'd tag along and help you out." Iris replied.

"I can do things just fine, you know." Ash stated.

"Right. Says the guy who wildly tossed a Poké Ball at a Deerling."

Ash stopped walking. "I told you! It was distracted and off-guard, and that makes for an easy catch!"

Iris also stopped to reply. "And I told you, you need to attack first and THEN throw the Poké Ball when it's weak!"

"Oshawott!" Oshawott interrupted.

Ash was about to respond again when they both suddenly realized Oshawott had appeared out of nowhere and now stood between them.

"Oshawott!" Oshawott repeated. They all stared at it, confused. "Wott?"

"Uh..."

After a moment, Iris thought of something. "Hey, is this the same Oshawott from yesterday?"

"Maybe." Ash replied. He crouched and petted Oshawott. "Thanks for the help yesterday."

"Oshawott!" Oshawott tapped its scalchop proudly.

"Well, that proves it." Ash remarked, getting back up. "But why are you here, anyway?"

"Pika." Pikachu agreed, getting down to talk with Oshawott. "Pika, Pikachu Pika Pika?"

"Oshawott! Osha osha oshawott osha!" Oshawott replied.

Pikachu turned to Ash. "So what's up? Why's Oshawott here?"

"Pikapi, Pika pika pika pika pika!"

Pikachu climbed on Ash's shoulder. Ash crouched again, his attention on Oshawott. "So you've been following us?" he asked. Oshawott nodded. "Why?"

Oshawott climbed on his shoulder, mirroring Pikachu's position. "Oshawott! Osha, wott osha Oshawott!"

"So you want to come with us?" Ash asked. Oshawott nodded enthusiastically. Ash smiled. "In that case, welcome to the team!" He proceeded to pull out a Poké Ball, tossing it upwards.

Oshawott jumped after it, tapping the center button. The ball opened, hit Oshawott with a red light….And then closed, falling back down. Ash and Iris were reasonably confused for a moment.

"Hang on, doesn't that only happen when…." Ash began.

"This Oshawott must already belong to someone!" Iris finished. "But who?"

After thinking for a moment, Ash came to a realization. "Wait, are you the same Oshawott from Professor Juniper's lab?" he asked it.

"Oshawott!" it nodded.

"Then that's it!" Ask stated. "But how to contact the professor…"

Iris interrupted him. "I know! There's a small Poké-Mart just up ahead a short distance!"

Ash looked at her. "So?"

"They might have a phone, and if not, we could always just ask for directions."

"Then let's go!"

* * *

A short time later found them talking to Professor Juniper at the previously-mentioned Poké-Mart.

"I was wondering where Oshawott was! He vanished a little bit after you left." Juniper said.

"Yeah. He wants to come along with us. Is that okay?" Ash asked.

"Yes, that's fine!" Juniper replied. "I'll send over his Poké Ball right away."

Juniper vanished from the screen momentarily. Then, the device next to the screen sparked as a Poké Ball appeared. Ash picked it up. "Alright, we've got it!" he said.

Juniper reappeared, and replied, "That's good. Oh, and keep an eye out! Oshawott likes to disappear sometimes."

"Hey, Professor Juniper!" A voice from the other side of the screen suddenly called. Juniper turned to her left.

"Oh! Shane! Perfect!" Juniper walked off-screen. After another moment, she walked back with the teen from yesterday. "Ash, you've met Shane already, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. Good to see you again, Shane! How are you?"

"I'm good. Nice to see you too! So you've got Oshawott now, huh?"

"Yep."

"I'm just checking on my teams right now. How many Pokémon have you caught so far?"

"Just a Pidove. Wait, teams?! How many Pokémon do YOU have?!" Ash exclaimed.

Shane put his hand on his head with a modest expression. "Nothing like the amount you're probably thinking about. I've just got two special teams of six and a few other Pokémon I caught a while back."

"Oh." Ash calmed down. "Anyway, what's the Striaton Gym Leader like? Have you met him?"

"All I'll say is this, Ash: When you get there, order the PKMN B Special. Rare, preferably."

Ash stared blankly for a moment. "…..huh?"

Shane adjusted his hat. "Anyway, I'm coming after you soon enough. I've just got a few more things to attend to, and then I'll catch up. See you later Ash!" The screen shut off.

"Huh?! Hey! Wait a minute! Shane! What do you mean 'order'?! Come back!" Ash yelled in vain at the screen. He proceeded to groan, and then sigh, in succession.

"Hey, Ash? Uh, Oshawott's missing." Iris informed him.

"What?!" Ash turned around, confirming that Oshawott was indeed no longer there. "Oh man…Great. Now I have to look for Oshawott while I figure out Shane's advice."

"Well, Axew and I could always help you." Iris offered.

As they walked out of the store, Ash considered Iris' offer. "I guess. It doesn't hurt to have some help."

"Good. With that settled, let's get going." With that, they began walking down the road.

And took all of ten seconds to fall into a pit.

Upon landing,-rather hardly- Ash groaned. "Oww…..that hurt…"

"Who would leave a pitfall in the middle of the road?" Iris questioned, having landed somewhat more softly than Ash.

"It's probably some type of trap." Ash guessed.

"If it is, who would make it?"

Ash opened his mouth to reply, but someone outside the pit responded first. "Sandile." Ash and Iris looked upwards at the voice, finding it to belong to a boy around their age. Said boy had green eyes, brown hair, and was wearing a green shirt with bluish grey shorts and green shoes.

* * *

Elsewhere, both Team Rockets were on the move. Without warning, Butch and Cassidy fell into a pitfall that the other trio didn't notice until they too fell in.

Butch and Cassidy collected themselves and landed on their feet...Before the trio fell on top of them, landing on literally everything that wasn't their feet. Once the teams collected themselves, they separated, taking aggressive stances towards each other.

"Well, well, Jessie." Cassidy greeted.

"Cassidy!" Jessie shouted.

"And Butcher!" James shouted.

'Butcher' fell over. "It's **BUTCH** YOU BUMBLING IDIOTS! I'LL 'BUTCHER' YOU!"

"Hey, what's this thing?" Meowth interrupted the humans to bring their attention to a small Pokémon that was glaring at them.

"Sandile! Sandile!" It spoke firmly.

"Yeah, threaten us all you want. You're too tiny to be scary." Meowth replied.

"What's it saying, Meowth?" Jessie asked.

"'Leave now, something terrible is happening.' Is what I get from it."

"Sandile! Sandile sandile!"

"Whaddya mean?"

* * *

"Sandile?" Ash questioned, pulling out his PokéDex.

"Sandile: The Desert Croc Pokémon. It lives often in the desert or in places with hot sand. A dark membrane protects its eyes from the sun. When this Pokémon buries itself in sand, it curiously leaves its nose and eyes above the ground."

"Interesting…" Ash remarked, putting away his PokéDex. "Thanks for helping us. I'm Ash, and this is Pikachu."

"And I'm Iris. My partner here is Axew."

The boy who helped them out began explaining. "My name is Dan. My family runs a resort spa hotel that's just a little farther down this road. Unfortunately, we're closed right now because of the Sandile."

"What happened?" Ash asked.

Dan turned around. "Come with me and I'll show you."

A short time later found them at the mentioned hotel. "See, our biggest attraction here is the hot-sand spa." Dan explained as they arrived at said spa. "For some reason, the Sandile just showed up and started messing around, making it look like this." He gestured to the destruction laid out in front of them. Everywhere, there were ditches, some fallen trees…even some overturned boulders.

"Whoa….I can't believe this!" Iris commented.

"I just don't get it." Dan stated. "It only happened a short time ago. I was helping tend to a pair of customers. They were just starting to enjoy themselves, and then the Sandile showed up. We thought everything was normal at first..."

Ash turned to face him. "I thought the Sandile caused all this? What about them showing up was 'normal'?"

"You see, the Sandile showing up is nothing new. They appeared often, usually relaxing. Dad mentions how they enjoy the hot sand too every time they show up. Then, they just suddenly started wrecking the place." Dan explained.

"I don't understand. Why would a bunch of friendly Sandile just up and rampage?" Iris questioned. "Especially if they enjoyed it so much."

"That's what we don't get either. It just doesn't seem to make sense." Dan replied.

"Well, we'll help out!" Ash proclaimed.

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed. They proceeded to leap over the tape…..and somehow, Ash was suddenly in trunks with all his travel clothes neatly folded behind him as he and Pikachu lay perfectly covered in the hot sand.

"H-how….." Iris first questioned how Ash changed into swimwear so quickly, let alone folded his clothes as well, but she then decided to question why he was in the sand the way he was. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well, if we're gonna help, we need research first." Ash responded.

"Pika!"

"All you care about is checking out the hot sand." Iris deadpanned. She then discovered Axew pop up beside them, inexplicably in the exact same state. "Not you too…"

Meanwhile,Team Rocket 1 spied upon them, Butch and Cassidy having already decided to move on with what they were doing. "Just look at them, so relaxed and off-guard." Jessie commented. "The perfect time to steal Pikachu."

"Sandile!" The Sandile from before yelled at them. They turned around at the sound of its voice.

"Ugh, not this thing again." Jessie commented.

"Scram!" Meowth told it.

"Go away!" James barked.

It simply yelled at them once more, before burrowing under the sand and heading towards Ash and company.

"Ash, weren't we looking for Oshawott?" Iris asked, trying to get him out of the sand.

"That's right! I almost forgot!" Ash exclaimed, sitting up.

"Oshawott!" They heard, tipping them off that he was nearby. It simply took a glance around for them to notice him laying the sand by himself, his scalchop on his forehead. They walked over to him.

"Hang on, have you been here the entire time?" Ash asked. Oshawott's happy nods and tone of voice told him it was so. "Someone's enjoying himself." he remarked.

Suddenly, a Sandile with sunglasses leapt out of the sand and grabbed Axew with its mouth.

"What- Axew!"

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash reacted fast.

"Pika!" Pikachu's tail became a shiny metallic black as he prepared for battle.

"Wait!" Iris exclaimed. "If you attack it, you could hurt Axew, too!"

"Then what do we do?! If we can't attack, how are we gonna get Axew back?" Ash replied. Pikachu's tail returned to normal as his concentration faded.

Sandile moved a decent ways back, growling at them. "That one is the leader!" Dan exclaimed, pointing at it. "That Sandile is one that showed up first and initiated the attack!"

"We have to stop it!" Iris yelled. After a moment, she thought of something. "If we can get our hands on it, we could pry Axew out of its mouth!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ash exclaimed, moving ahead. However, Iris stopped him.

"Wait. I'll grab it first. _Then_ we try."

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Just watch."

Iris began running towards Sandile. In response, Sandile used Sand Attack, which Iris dodged by jumping aside, and then quickly moved to grab it with both hands, fortunately succeeding.

"Now do I help?" Ash asked.

"Yes! Try to open its mouth with your hands!" Iris replied, struggling to hold the Sandile as it flailed.

Ash quickly moved over and began attempting exactly that. Pikachu and Oshawott moved to help too, but they couldn't really do much with Iris holding it off the ground. "Let go!" Ash yelled at it, pulling his hands in opposite directions.

Since it wasn't working yet, Iris decided to try another way: She used her legs to hold Sandile down, and put her hands on the roof of its maw. "Ash, you pull the jaw, I'll pulled the top!"

"Okay!" Ash complied, using both hands on the jaw. Unfortunately, this still didn't work. "Alright, Pikachu! Use Iron Tail now!" Ash commanded. Pikachu complied, charged up Iron Tail, and slammed it into Sandile's stomach, not only sending it flying, but also freeing Axew, who Iris caught in midair with a flip.

Irritated, Sandile leapt at Pikachu and Oshawott, somehow grabbing the former's whole forelimb and the latter's foot. "Dile!" it somehow growled without moving its mouth.

Just as it began running away, however, it suddenly lost its footing on the ground, and stuck to a magnet it didn't realize was there. "Where did THAT come from?!" Ash asked in shock, surprised by the magnet's sudden appearance.

Speaking of which, said magnet was attached to a rope attached to a construction vehicle of some sort. It was four-wheeled and small, barely big enough for both Jessie and James to sit inside.

"A twerpish question indeed…." Jessie began.

"The answer to come as we feel the need!" James continued.

"Bringing the white light of evil into your future!"

"Hammering justice on the black universe!"

"And carving our names in the rock of eternity!" Meowth chimed in.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!" Jessie waved a rose around.

"With thunderous emotion, I am James!" James held a violet's stem with his mouth.

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!" Meowth held nothing, despite the yellow, flowery background.

"Now gather, under the name of Team Rocket!" the trio finished, posing as a giant R symbol appeared behind them on a starry background.

"Another new motto?" Ash deadpanned.

"Is this the 'other' Team Rocket you mentioned, Ash?" Iris asked him.

He nodded to her, before looking back at them. "I don't suppose we could just ask you to give us back our Pokémon?" Ash asked, already sure of what was going to happen.

"There's a problem with that idea, twerp: These Pokémon belong to us now!" Jessie replied. "James, high-gear! Time to get away!"

"Right away!" James responding. He started forward, and turned for their getaway.

"Get back here!" Ash yelled as the group gave chase.

"Mmmm... nope!" Meowth said, tossing a smoke bomb at them. It exploded, leaving the group behind as Team Rocket moved onward.

* * *

Higher in the mountains, Team Rocket decided to stop as they now seemed to have lost the twerps.

"We've finally caught Pikachu!" Jessie exclaimed in glee.

"With Oshawott and Sandile, we'll get a bonus too!" James intentionally rhymed.

"Now, let's contact the boss and tell 'em 'Mission Complete!'" Meowth added. They were just about to, when suddenly one of their front wheels sank into the ground, causing their magnet to sway. When they thought it was over, the other front wheel sank, rocking them once more.

"Saand!" Sandile called out as more of his kind appeared.

Meowth hopelessly swung his suitcase, trying to shoo them away. "Go away! Leave us alone!"

During this time, Ash, Iris, and Dan got to the top, looking quickly for Team Rocket. Iris quickly saw and pointed at them. "Guys, up there!"

"Dile!" Glasses Sandile shouted. In response, the other Sandile began digging. Shortly, Team Rocket found themselves sinking as the Sandile dug under them. Not wanting to be buried alive, they quickly abandoned ship as the vehicle was submerged. Somehow, the magnet lost its grip on Glasses Sandile, letting him back on the ground again. He began walking forwards with the other Sandile following.

"I think we ought to get out of here!" Meowth suggested.

"Why should we?" Jessie asked, irritably.

"Gee, maybe it's because our getaway vehicle's sunk and we ain't got another plan." Meowth droned.

Jessie sighed. "Better than a blast-off, I guess." They quickly fled.

Eventually, Glasses Sandile stopped, releasing Pikachu and Oshawott. As the two looked around, confused, they found themselves in front of a group of Pokémon that were scared and also confused. Said group of Pokémon consisted of a few Deerling, Patrat, and Pidove. Pikachu and Oshawott watched in confusion as the Sandile began to crowd around them.

At this same time, Ash and company had climbed up the cliff and hid behind a convenient natural rock that acted as a decent "watching unseen" spot. "There they are." Ash stated, quietly.

"I wonder what's up with those wild Pokémon?" Iris asked, also quiet.

Glasses Sandile, standing upon a conveniently raised part of the ground, began speaking to the other Pokémon. "Dile! Sandile sandile! Sandile!"

Just then, a hot water geyser erupted a distance behind them. One of the other Sandile started talking, apparently convincing the other Pokémon to go with them. Then, more geysers erupted, even one right next to the humans.

"A geyser?!" Dan exclaimed.

"Huh?" Ash questioned.

"Boiling water that shoots up from the ground." Iris explained.

"I know what a geyser is! I didn't know they could be hot, though." Ash replied.

"Geysers aren't very common around here. I've never seen one in this area before." Dan said.

As they spoke, more geysers erupted around them and the Pokémon group. Glasses Sandile seemingly told them to keep moving, as some of them looked around in fear.

"Looks like the Sandile are bringing the Pokémon somewhere." Iris observed.

Dan came to a conclusion. "The Sandile must be guiding them to safety!" he exclaimed. Iris and Ash turned to him. "Maybe that's why they came to the sand-baths! They were trying to warn us!"

"Oh! That might be why it grabbed Axew!"

"It was trying to help! That Sandile's alright!" Ash got out from behind the rock. "Hey, Pikachu! Oshawott!" he yelled, jogging towards them. Pikachu and Oshawott heard him, and walked over to him.

Glasses Sandile, noticing this, turned around. "Sandile! Sandile!" it exclaimed, walking back towards them. This caught the attention of the other Sandile, who turned around to help him. The group of wild Pokémon stopped moving upon taking notice that the Sandile were no longer guiding them.

Suddenly, the ground shook greatly, the rumbling of an imminent geyser quite clear. "That sounds huge!" Dan shouted.

There was a startlingly large eruption, followed by multiple other eruptions, some of which conveniently burst in such a way as to make a river flowing around a few lone platforms, one of which housed the panicked wild Pokémon.

Iris and Dan jogged up. "They're isolated on that little platform! There's no way across!"

"It'll be a big problem if another big one goes off!" Dan exclaimed. They then felt the rumblings of yet another giant geyser.

"Like right now!" Iris yelled. Ash ran to the river, and tried to step in it, but immediately pulled his foot back out. "Ash, you can't just wade through boiling hot water!"

"But we have to do something!" Ash replied.

"Sandile! Sandile!" Glasses Sandile interrupted. He turned to the other Sandile and apparently told them a plan, since directly after he found an uneven bit of ground perfect to bite down and headstand with it that was then trumped by another Sandile climbing up and biting down on his tail, using it the same way. The rest of the Sandile followed suit, making a rather tall tower.

"What are they doing?" Iris asked.

"I think they're making a bridge." Ash replied. He was proven right when the tower leaned over and created a small path over the boiling river. "Come on! Everyone, just run across!" Ash shouted encouragingly.

Unfortunately, they all remained firmly planted where they were. "What's wrong?" Iris asked.

"They're all too scared!" Dan replied.

"We have to help!" Ash exclaimed, running across the Sandile Bridge. At the other side, he stepped to the side and motioned with his arms for the Pokémon to cross. "Look, it's perfectly safe. But we have to hurry! Please!"

The Pokémon hesitated, but they managed to quickly get across. The Pidove even remembered that they could fly. "Okay. You go on ahead Pikachu." Pikachu nodded, following the last Deerling across. Before Ash could follow, he noticed the platform under the last Sandile in the bridge breaking off and collapsing. He quickly crouched and grabbed it just before it fell into the water, and held it up to his chest to keep the footing steady.

"Ash!" Iris cried.

"Pikapi!"

"Don't worry!" Ash shouted back. "Okay Sandile, just a little longer!"

"Sand!"

Suddenly, a large geyser erupted, sending a scorching hot waterfall at Ash.

"Oshawott, osha!" Oshawott shouted, running to the center of the Sandile Bridge and leaping as he fired Water Gun at it, fortunately stopping it from causing harm. Though he came to a grim realization midair: Gravity is a harsh mistress. He began plummeting towards the boiling river, helplessly.

"No!" Ash yelled in concern. He quickly reached for Oshawott's Poké Ball. "Oshawott, return!" The red beam shot out, luckily returning Oshawott to it in time. But then, another concern rose as the Sandile began slipping from his hand. He tried to keep his grip, but he lost it before he could even move to put away his Poké Ball. He gasped in shock and fear, but he felt something- or rather, some_one_\- grab his hand. He looked up to see Iris smiling at him.

"That was pretty crazy, Ash."

"Nah, that was nothing." He replied. He looked over at Glasses Sandile. "Sandile, just one last push, alright?"

"Sand!"

The next they knew, they were lift upwards and now holding the top of a mighty tower of Sandile….which promptly fell apart. The Sandile landed hardly, but they were okay. Ash and Iris landed in their own….unique manners. Iris' toes touched the ground, and she leapt away from the river, rolling. Ash first touched the ground with his feet, and then fell on his rear. Either way, they were mostly okay.

"That was close."

* * *

A short time later, having returned to the resort-spa hotel, they checked what was once the sand-bath to find that it was now a hot spring. Since they were friends, had helped figure out the Sandile mystery, and very much needed some relaxation after all that, Ash, Iris, and their Pokémon became the first ones to try the hotel's newest attraction.

"So, what does everyone think?" Dan's father, a man with brownish-grey hair and green eyes, asked with lighthearted smile.

"I'm a little sad about the geysers costing us the sand spa, but who knew we'd get a hot spring in return?" Dan replied.

"Yeah, the water's great now that it's not scalding!" Ash commented.

"Definitely!" Iris added.

"We now have a brand-new attraction." Dan's father stated.

"Hot springs are great, and really relaxing!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Iris agreed. Even the Pokémon chimed in positively.

Meanwhile, back behind the spring, a particular Sandile surfaced, laughing to itself.

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

…_**..in a few hours! Oh yeah, I'm WAY freakin' overdue for this, and I apologize PROFUSELY! **_

_**But seriously, dear gods has it been way too long! I'm so freaking happy with this! Please, please, please, constructive criticism or really, ANY review that's not trolling or flaming it appreciated after this, and I swear I will do my best to make sure the next gap in updates in NOT this long! Pokémon for the WIN!**_

_**Super special thanks to PokeMaster64 and RonnyBravo the Breadghost for being awesome writers and updating their Pokémon-related stories! If it weren't for you two and your timing, this delay would've probably been longer because of my mood. Seriously, Episodes 4 and 5 coming SOON!**_

_**YES! YES! YES! I can win, I feel great, I! CAN! DO! THIS! YES!**_

_**Meanwhile, have EVEN MORE CHAPTER!**_

* * *

The screen shut off. Shane turned to leave, but Juniper's voice stopped him.

"Are you sure about this?" She asked, walking up to him. His confused expression prompted her to explain. "I mean, after what happened before, are you sure you want to continue your journey already?"

Shane sighed. "Yes, professor. It's been long enough since the three of us set out. Ash has reminded me of what we're all about."

"Alright. Then go get your friend and get out there. Enjoy yourself." Juniper said.

Shane nodded and turned to walk out.

_It's always hard when the journey begins  
hard to find your way, hard to make amends…_

As he walked over to his bike, he looked back over the lab, and then the town. Then he turned to the Snivy on his shoulder. "It's finally time to finish what I started long ago. You ready, Blade?" he asked. The small grass-snake nodded. Shane took a deep breath and got on his bicycle, riding down the path.

_But there's nothing you can't do,  
Cause you've got the power inside of you!_

They rode past numerous buildings, but none they wanted. Shane rode towards the store, and then turned a corner, heading towards his friend's house. Upon arrival, he got off, and knocked on the door.

_It's never easy…  
To make a choice.  
To keep things inside….  
Or raise your voice._

The door opened, answered by a blonde girl with a green bag. She wore a green beret with a white, horizontal stripe, a long white dress with an orange V-neck tank-top over it, orange stockings, orange shoes, and a single white wristband on her left arm.

_But for everyone there comes a time,  
When the light inside begins to shine._

_It's not always right or wrong,  
As long as your spirit's strong._

"Hello, Shane." She greeted.

"Hi, Bianca." Shane returned.

"It's time to go again, huh?"

"Yeah."

Bianca took a deep breath, and smiled. "Alright. Let's go."

_It's not always win or lose,  
It's the road you choose,  
The answer's within._

Shane nodded. Bianca stepped out, checking her bag to make sure her Pokémon were there. Convinced they were, the two began walking, Shane taking his bike and walking along with it.

_It's not always black and white,  
But your heart always knows what's right._

_But let the journey begin!_

They soon found themselves on the path leading toward Accumula Town. They both breathed deeply and slowly. _'It's finally time.'_ They both thought.

"I've already decided what I'm going to do." Shane stated. "I'm going to meet up with Ash and join him. I've still got to learn from him."

Bianca nodded. "I'll just be doing like before, then." She replied. Shane nodded, and got on his bike.

"I'll see you around, Bianca!" He called as he rode away, waving back.

_So many choices….How do we know?  
So many places….Where do we go?  
What should I say?  
What should I do?_

_Still we're together, me and you!_

_It's not always right or wrong,  
As long as your spirit's strong._

_It's not always win or lose, it's the road you choose.  
The answer's within._

_It's not always Black and White!  
But your heart always knows what's right!_

_But let the journey begin,_

_Pokémon!_

"I think it's about time I finally got back on track." He spoke to himself as he rode along. Well, he had one pair of invisible ears to listen to him, but that was it.

_There's nothing you can't do,  
Cause you've got the power inside of you!  
It's not always right or wrong,  
As long as your spirit's strong._

_It's not always win or lose, it's the road you choose.  
The answer's within._

_It's not always Black and White!  
But your heart always knows what's right!_

_But let the journey begin,_

_Pokémon!_

* * *

**_Again, there's a lack of "what a kid" comments, because Iris is a hypocrite and it really makes no sense anyway. Seriously, in canon they are all of TEN._**

**_Where did Team Rocket 1 get that smoke bomb? Meowth swiped some of Team Rocket 2's supplies when they were in the pit together._**

**_Look forward to chapter 4 in a few hours! I promise, I'll finish it sometime today!_**

**_Update: Well, that bombed. I'm sorry it's taking so long. I really meant to have Chapter 4 done by now. I got stuck when writing and had to delay. Afterwards, I kept forgetting or putting it off or getting distracted with other stuff. Lately I've been in a rough spot in my personal life. My older brother and his wife are living in the same house as me with their now 1-year-old baby and I've got school keeping me from focusing on what I want. And to top it off, I'm currently suffering from a cold, so there's that._**

**_I'm sorry. I really will be getting Chapter 4 out ASAP, but I can't promise anything like "this week" or even "this month"._**

**_Update 2: Huh, I never thought lazy parenting would help to inspire me. My brother's been putting Pokemon on our TV using Netflix on the Wii to keep his son entertained when they're both at home, which has been pushing me back into a Pokemon mood._**

**_I still cannot make promises, however I may hopefully being finishing chapter 4 soon. Once I get that out, chapter 5 won't take nearly as long. At least I'll fulfill my promise of not making you all wait half as long between updates this time._**

**_I intend to write something soon. Whatever I write next, it will probably be up on the weekend._**


End file.
